CrossFit Open 16.3 Recap: Much Ado About Nothing

Why so late with the CrossFit Open 16.3 Recap? I had to do it somewhere else:

That’s right, I spent last week on vacation in Destin, Florida. I went for three runs (one with an active duty Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, and I’m proud to say I was able to not only able to keep up for 10K but also carry on a conversation), did the Open workout and a regular WOD at CrossFit Destin, swam a little, and enjoyed several delicious cheat meals. We left Friday, March 10, which meant I wouldn’t get to do 16.3 until Monday morning.

Top of the snatch movement.

My friend Nicole messaged me with the 16.3 workout on Thursday night; I was completely caught up in packing and a last-minute supply run. The snatches had me nervous; the last time I had tested for a one rep max, it was 40 pounds. And I had never done chest-to-bar pull-ups (let alone a muscle-up). I texted Holly to ask what I should do; her reply was to do it scaled, and kill it. So this is what I spent my entire weekend worried about:

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 7 minutes of:
10 power snatches
5 jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups

Men use 45 lb.
Women use 35 lb.

Remember that 40 pound one rep max? That’s what had me panicking. I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to perform 10 reps of the snatches, and that I’d be dropping the bar and humiliating myself – and even worse, in an unfamiliar box. I wanted to RX it (a 55 pound snatch) because that way, if I failed, I’d have an excuse. If I failed at 35 pounds? I’d have to consider giving up CrossFit and joining a Globo Gym and doing leg lifts and crunches in a group exercise class.

It turns out, the snatch was the least of my problems. I checked in to CrossFit Destin, warmed up, and set up my bar and jumping pull-up station. And at 3-2-1-GO, I was lifting the barbell above my head like it was weightless. I had worried about snatching for absolutely nothing.

No, it was the chest-to-bar jumping pull-ups that proved to be my downfall. I could not get the right movement down to do them properly, and I kept no-repping. I finally strung five together, dropped off the bar, and went back to snatching. My final score was 55, or three full rounds plus 10 snatches.

I’m not going to lie; I was disappointed. But Kathy, one of the owners at CrossFit Destin, told me what I keep hearing from those around me at my own box: I’m killing it. For someone who has only been CrossFitting since August, and for someone who has not been a lifelong athlete, I’m definitely killing it.

Yup. Two more WODs left in the open. In South Central (my region), I’m solidly middle-of-the-pack. It’s not a bad place to be for someone who is still new to CrossFit.